April 5, 2021 - 34 yr old stellar Cabernet from an outstanding Napa vintage. Leather, tobacco and vanilla bouquet with lively deep cherry fruit perfectly balanced with just the right tannin to produce a memorable and long lasting finish. This was wine sourced from the winery upon release and still has another decade of vibrant life if only the cork holds up.
April 13, 2017 - Encore beaucoup de fruit, tannin fondu. Je ne pense pas que le vin va s'améliorer à boire Maintenant.
December 19, 2013 - Lovely and elegant. Nose is distinctly Bordeaux with cut grass, cassis barnyard with wet straw. Long Peppery finish with blueberry and salty brine. Love it. Especially the nose. Me 94pts./Ed 95 pts./Costa 96-97 pts.
June 4, 2009 - i agree with all of the other reviews. funny how the color on an 87 hasn't changed much in six years from 03. great ruby color with barely noticeable browning around the edges. i initially got a very floral sense off the nose, but that has evolved into very definite leather and cedar. great balance with just enough finish to round it out. there is a slight tartness, but i don't quite find it off putting so much as i just cant quite put my finger on it. not a lot of fruit left here maybe some cherry. i do however disagree that a lengthy decant or leaving it for day two is not going to benefit this wine. its been open all of thirty mins and i feel like it is trying to fade. i will report back in an hour or so. as of now very well built wine that is overall very pleasant.
May 10, 2009 - A surprisingly vigorous wine, decanted and consumed over several hours. Balanced, with some nice secondary characteristics, this was very pleasant. A slight tartness was the only off-putting element, but all in all a nice find at a great price at auction. 91-92.
September 2, 2006 - Great bottle of wine that took a little time to open up. Good nose and nice fruit, with a pleasing finish. IT came in second to a bottle of 1981 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus.
January 26, 2003 - I had two choices: watch the Raiders or have this wine with a grilled porter house at Vic Stewarts in Walnut Creek, CA. I made the better choice.
The wine still maintains a beautiful ruby color with just a slight hint of browning beginning around the edges. It took about 1 hour for some nice subtle currant fruit to emerge from the heavy cigar box and leather that initally greeted me. There’s definitely some sage and cedar going on too. The end result was a balanced, pleasant wine that I enjoyed, but would probably have enjoyed more a few years ago with more fruit and less “old” characteristics.
3 days later, the wine has mellowed to a nice package of pruney smoke. Reminds me of a port (but dry). This wine really would have benefited from extended decanting.